How much should business cards cost in 2026
Most businesses waste money on premium business cards when standard £50-per-500 stock with a single finish delivers identical networking outcomes to £120 luxury versions.
In three years of brokering print jobs, no one has ever mentioned the card stock when following up. They remember the conversation or they bin it.
Here's what you actually get at each price point, and where the money goes.
The real price brackets
£18-25 per 500: Budget event cards
300gsm or 350gsm uncoated card. No finish. Single-sided or basic double-sided.
It feels thin. Not embarrassing, but you can feel the flex when you hold it. The print is clear. It does the job at networking events where you are handing out twenty cards in an hour and half will end up in the recycling bin at the venue.
Good for: conferences, expos, volume distribution.
Not good for: client meetings, proposals, anything where you are handing someone one card and expecting them to keep it.
Printlogik charges £24.50 for 500 at this spec in August 2026.
£45-65 per 500: Standard professional cards
400gsm card with a silk or matt laminate finish.
This is the Goldilocks option. Thick enough to hold its shape when someone puts it in their wallet. The laminate gives it a smooth tactile quality and makes it more durable. It doesn't feel cheap in your hand. It doesn't feel like you are trying too hard either.
This is what 90% of UK SMEs should be buying.
Business cards at this spec from Printed.com cost £52 per 500 in silk finish right now. Moo charges £55 for their standard 400gsm with matt laminate. Printlogik sits in a more affordable range charging just £27.00 for 500 on 450gsm stock. You are not being ripped off at £50 (that's the average). You are being ripped off at £85.
£100-150 per 500: Luxury weighted cards
540gsm or 600gsm uncoated. Sometimes triplex (three layers with a coloured core). Spot UV or foil detailing optional.
It weighs like a credit card. You notice it immediately. That's the point.
Good for: creative agencies, property, luxury services, anyone competing on perception of quality and handing out fewer than ten cards a month.
Not good for: volume networking, trades, coaching, local services. Your client cares whether you turn up on time and do the work properly. The card stock is not the signal.
Moo's Luxe range charges £119 per 500 for 540gsm triplex with a coloured edge. It is genuinely impressive. It is also genuinely unnecessary unless your industry judges you on this stuff.
Printlogik, in comparison charge £173 per 500 but 'on 810gsm, thicker and more substancial than Moo's Luxe range
What physically changes as price goes up
Paper weight:
300gsm flexes in your hand. 400gsm holds its shape. 540gsm feels solid. The difference between 400gsm and 540gsm is not twice as good. It is noticeable, but only if you are paying attention.
Finish:
Uncoated feels natural but shows fingerprints and scuffs. Silk laminate is smooth and slightly reflective. Matt laminate has more grip and hides marks better. Spot UV adds a raised gloss layer to specific areas. Foil adds metallic detail.
You pay for each additional process. A 400gsm silk card costs £52 per 500. Add spot UV to the logo and you are at £85. Add foil and you are over £100.
Edge detailing:
Triplex cards have a coloured core that shows at the edge. Painted edges cost more again. Both are aesthetic choices. Neither makes the card more functional.
The question: does your client care?
If you are a wedding photographer or an interior designer, maybe. If you are a plumber or a business coach, no.
Do clients actually notice
A customer came in last week with two quotes. One for 400gsm silk at £50 per 500. One for 600gsm uncoated with spot UV at £140 per 500.
He asked which one would make him look more professional.
The answer: neither. Your client will not remember which card you handed them. They will remember whether you listened, whether you followed up, whether you solved their problem.
The expensive card does not fix bad follow-up. The cheap card does not ruin a good conversation.
There is one exception. If you work in an industry where tactile quality is part of your offer, the card becomes part of the pitch. Creative agencies. Brand consultants. Print brokers. Anyone selling design or production quality.
For everyone else, the card is a reminder prompt. It needs your name, your number, what you do. It needs to not feel flimsy enough that they throw it away immediately. That's 400gsm with a finish. £50 per 500.
The Goldilocks option
Most UK SMEs should be ordering 400gsm silk or matt laminated cards at £50-55 per 500.
Here's why:
It is thick enough to survive a wallet for six months. It is smooth enough to feel intentional. It is affordable enough that you are not precious about handing them out. You can reorder when your phone number changes without feeling like you wasted money.
The step up from 300gsm uncoated to 400gsm silk is worth it. You feel the difference immediately. Your client might not articulate it, but they notice when a card feels cheap.
The step from 400gsm silk to 540gsm triplex with spot UV is marginal unless your industry genuinely rewards that signal. Most don't.
Should you order fewer cards at higher quality
No.
A box of 100 premium cards costs almost as much per unit as 500. Print setup is the expensive part. The marginal cost of additional cards is low.
If you are handing out ten cards a month, 500 will last you four years. Your branding will change before then. Your phone number might. Your job title probably will.
Order 500 at the spec you can afford to replace in two years. If that's £50, order 400gsm silk and don't think about it again. If you genuinely need the weighted card for client perception, order 500 and accept that you might reorder sooner.
Do not order 100 cards at £80 thinking you are saving money. You are not. You are paying more per card and you will run out at the worst possible time.
What to ask a printer to avoid being mugged off
"What's the actual paper weight and finish?"
If they say "premium quality card" without naming the gsm or the laminate type, they are either unclear on their own stock or deliberately vague. Both are bad signs.
"What's included in that price?"
Some printers quote excluding VAT (heads up - Printlogik does as we are primarily B2B) . Some exclude delivery. Some charge extra for double-sided printing. Get the final delivered price before comparing quotes.
"What's your turnaround?"
Cheap cards with a two-week lead time are not cheap if you need them in three days. Fast-turnaround premium cards often cost the same as standard cards with normal delivery.
The pattern
Most businesses treat business cards like a credibility signal. The expensive card will make me look serious. The cheap card will make me look skint.
Neither is true.
Your client judges you on whether you do what you said you would do. The card is a reminder. It needs to survive long enough to be useful. It does not need to impress.
400gsm with a silk or matt finish does that job for £50 per 500. Anything beyond that is either an industry-specific requirement or a decision you are making for yourself, not your client.
If you are ordering for the first time and cannot tell the difference between quotes, that is the spec to ask for. If the printer tries to upsell you to 540gsm triplex with foil, ask them why. If the answer is not specific to your industry, it is not specific to your business.
The business cards page has the current stock options and delivered prices. If you are still unsure which finish to go with, the samples will settle it faster than another comparison chart.
